There’s the tough-minded crowd, throwing all caution to the wind when it comes to concussions, and then there’s the practical-minded crowd—those folks that are beginning to see the light.

Developing brains don’t need trauma. Besides, when it comes to the sport of hockey, the percentage of those 11 and 12-year olds that will ever play in the NHL is miniscule—like all professional sports. So why take the risk? Anything that you can do to decrease the incidence of brain trauma should be implemented, and that’s what’s happening in Canada. Hockey Canada is finally taking action

Even tough guy Jim Peplinski, “best known as the co-captain (with Lanny McDonald) of the 1989 Calgary Flames team that broke a lot of Montreal hearts in a six-game Stanley Cup final,” gets it. He has gone so far as to call “for a nationwide ban on bodychecking until at least age 16 to cut down on the concussion rates.”

Everyone should read this article. It’s insightful, and more importantly tempers the dream with reality. Go to –